Falling demand

Sales of motorised tools in Germany during January/February 2009 fell by 10.5 per cent over the same period last year, according to information from the GfK. With a drop of 13.7 per cent the DIY retailers are more severely affected than the specialist dealers (-8.5 per cent). A fall in demand for traditional brands is also becoming evident for the first time. Previously it was no-name products and private labels that were mainly affected in DIY stores.